


Raccoons

by 00Cat00



Series: Broken Loop AU [2]
Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bullying, Camping, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Gen Work, Hurt/Comfort, I think that's it - Freeform, I'll add more tags if necessary, Injury, Inspired By Little Nightmares, Kid Fic, Nightmares, No Romance, No Slash, Only like one chapter though, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Recovery, Suicidal Thoughts, Unreliable Narrator, but they get better over time, the kids are messed up :(
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29704506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00Cat00/pseuds/00Cat00
Summary: Following the storyline of 'Forgiveness', Mono and Six now find themselves in the modern world, where they're homeless for a while, until they're found by one Officer William Allen.Follow the kids as they navigate this new world, try to adjust to its rules, and leave the darkness of their world behind, finding family and happiness as they go. It's never easy, but they're nothing if not determined.
Relationships: Mono & Six (Little Nightmares), Mono & William (Original Character), Six & Mono & William (Original Character), Six & William (Original Character)
Series: Broken Loop AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2182770
Comments: 258
Kudos: 703





	1. Racoons

Officer William Allen was having a rough week.

Don't get him wrong, he loved his job, working at the police department of his area and living his comfortable life as a thirty-something, single and kidless guy. Meeting with his squad each day, meeting with his burgers at night, going to the gym half heartedly every time he looked in the mirror and saw _juuuust_ a bit of fat poking through the fabric of his uniform...Life was great.

But of course, every life had downsides.

Like how much trash he'd seen on the job over the years. Shady organizations, serial killers, kidnappings...it got you jaded in a certain way after some time. And how _empty_ his house felt sometimes, when he returned tired and looking for comfort. No one was there to welcome him home. No one was there to cook for him, or talk and ask about his day, so the only thing he could do was turn on his TV and put on some baseball game while he ate and dozed off on the couch. 

Sometimes it got lonely. Sometimes he wanted to go out to a bar, meet someone special, or even get a pet of some kind. But each time, he shook himself out of those delusions. He was a police officer. Soon to be promoted, in fact, if everything went right. He couldn't be there for a relationship, he couldn't keep a pet. There was too much paperwork, too much patrolling, too many cases to work on. And if he was just going to become a distant partner and neglect his pet or his wife, then he'd rather not make any promises at all. He'd had enough with a not-at-all-there father, and a swamped-in-work mother. He knew enough to not make the same mistakes.  
However, besides that, there was the most usual stuff that could go wrong. And because this week seemed set on giving William the cold shoulder, _every_ thing that could go sideways went upside down at the _same time._

A shooting at a local bank had gone south and the perp had become nervous, firing his gun at the air in an attempt to keep the unit back. A stray bullet had nailed him right in the side. The wound was not very deep, but he had still been left with a limp, and he'd been discharged temporarily while he healed. This wasn't all bad of course, paid leave was more than he could ask for, but the problem was that if he wasn't there to prove himself, then the boss might give the spot to Jonny Wright, the runner up for the position of police corporal.

And William _hated_ the sucker.

So that was that. Also, his TV had decided to spontaneously combust one night when the power went out and he was stupid enough to leave the device on in an _electric_ _storm_. Not his brightest moment, he knew. Aside from that, he'd dropped and cracked his favorite mug, there was evidence of a plague of cockroaches in his kitchen–those slimy little bastards–and the latest development, rummaged trash bins.

Raccoons weren't exactly _uncommon_ in this area, but William had never suffered from them, _ever_. He'd put traps when he first moved in the neighborhood. Those little guys knew they had to stay away from his property. So why now?

Well. He could deal with the pain in his side. He could spray the cockroaches into oblivion. He could replace the mug, and survive without TV for a few weeks because he wasn't addicted to a screen. He could even _tolerate_ Wright.

But raccoons spread the trash around the backyard he'd fought so much to mow and make presentable. He'd had a little garden of vegetables and some stray flowers here and there, remnants of his gardening phase. The vegetables were missing too. And if one didn't nip the problem in the bud, the intelligent animals would assume his house was safe to come and wreck, which just wouldn't do.

With that said, William set a camera in a strategic position near the trash cans, hoping to catch the little bandits in the act and possibly know how many he had to deal with, and went to bed, anticipating the result in the morning.

And footage there was. A lot of it.

...Jesus.

Were those–

Were those _children?_

William widened his eyes, taking in the video again and again. Raccoons his foot. Those were _actual_ kids rummaging through his trash. His police officer instincts were going crazy. And the instinct of–you know, _not being a horrible human being_.

There were two of them.

The smaller of the two, at first glance wearing nothing but a filthy yellow raincoat that was more brown than anything at this point. The taller one wore a ragged trench coat and a pair of trousers. Both were barefoot. He couldn't see the face of raincoat kid, and trench coat kid's own was so covered by hair he could only see the unnatural paleness of their skin. The two walked around his trashcans and, with practiced ease, lifted the very heavy cap of the container. Then trench coat kid straight up _jumped_ _inside_ the trash and started sorting through it while raincoat kid stood outside, back to the container, doing...what? Standing guard? William wanted to chuckle at the attempt, but the fact that they deemed it necessary to stand guard when stealing made it very hard to do so. Stealing trash. From his backyard. Because they were kids stealing–

God, he needed a beer.

Fortunately, the two did nothing more than carry some takeout boxes, and a bag of something that looked vaguely edible, and then left the way they came.

William leaned back in his chair, massaging his forehead. What the hell. This just passed into serious territory. What were two children doing eating from the trash? Were they homeless? Could be, or it could be that they were simply two brats tired of their parent's nagging and decided to 'run away', as it was common. Hell, William had done it too, once or twice. But the evidence supported the homelessness by a higher power situation, because their clothes were mangled beyond repair and they were barefoot. Shoes took a long time to be discarded. Just how long had they been out on the streets? Why hadn't they gone to the authorities? Why hadn't anyone found them?

There were too many questions. William needed to think. Technically, he was off duty. _Technically_ , he should still report this, but he needed to be sure of the situation and discard a possible prank, because as cruel as it sounded, children were even crueler little people sometimes and liked to pull the leg of anyone they could. If that was the case–he didn't think so–then he would give them a scare (he knew how to do the whole bad cop montage) and send them to their parents for a good spanking.

If it wasn't the case...

Then he'd see. Proceed from the answer. William sighed. This week just got even worse.

.

.

.

The next night, William was ready. 

He got in position, just behind the doorway of the backyard, next to the trashcans. Then he waited. His trash was rummaged every four days, a strange schedule, but he wasn't complaining. He'd waited the mandatory days and then crouched there, patient.

....This would look really bad, huh? He wasn't a bad guy, he promised.

After 10 pm, _finally_ , the kids came. Good, his legs were starting to cramp and the position wasn't really kind on his injured side. 

The same routine came to pass, only this time, raincoat kid was the one jumped inside the container, and trench coat kid stood outside, back facing William. They were the closest one. Alright.

"Hey, kid" He said, coming out from behind the door.

The effect was instantaneous.

Trench coat kid jumped and whipped around faster than William thought they would, while raincoat kid poked their head out the container and immediately started climbing out. When the man saw the tell-tale signs of someone beginning to run away, his training took over and he reflexively caught the kid's arm in his grip, minding his strength so as to not harm them. Ironically, the kid–a boy, now that he saw him up close, and man, he _reeked_ , just how long had they been outside?–reacted way stronger than he thought he would, twisting and turning in his grip violently to get away while gasping and grunting. Not a word came out of his mouth, not a scream, nothing the cop would associate with the normal response when a stranger grabbed you in the middle of the night.

_If you want to appear less like a child kidnapper, it's not working, Allen._

"H-Hey, don't–It's okay! I just want to–" William's poor attempt at calming the boy down was interrupted by something hard knocking him in the side of his head. William covered his face without letting the boy go, shocked.

A lamp.

An old lamp of his, that he had thrown away just two days ago.

Raincoat kid was the one who'd thrown it, with amazing accuracy. They were diving back for another projectile. The boy in his grip made use of William's strong arm and levelled himself so he was briefly suspended above the grass, just enough to kick him in the ribs strongly. _Just_ in the spot where he was shot.

Just his luck.

William grunted in pain, trying to duck as another piece of trash came for his head. Trench coat boy was more cunning than he gave him credit for, because he briefly paused at his sound of discomfort and then started takingadvantage of the spot, digging his heels in his side and kicking again and again until William really worried the stitches would come off and had to let him go.

The boy immediately ran to raincoat kid's side, whereupon he took their hand and yanked them so they weren't close to William, backing up without taking their eyes off him. The man took a moment to breathe, recognizing the monumental screw up he'd done. He put up his hands in the universal gesture of 'I'm not armed', hoping to pacify them a bit.

"Hey, no, it's okay" he tried again, softening his voice as much as he could. "I'm not gonna hurt you, see? Sorry for scaring you"

They didn't stop. They were almost to the fence.

"Hey, where are your parents? Are you lost?"

Nothing. Raincoat kid wasted no time deftly climbing up, dropping down on the other side like William was giving chase. The man sighed heavily when the boy jumped too.

"You know, if you want food, you can just ask" He muttered, more for himself than anything, but the boy hesitated for two seconds, looking back at him. William smiled tiredly.

"I mean it"

The boy stood still for some moments more, before a quiet 'psst' from behind the fence snapped him out of thought and he dropped down to with a last glance at the cop.

Well, so much for raccoons.

_They didn't show up again._


	2. 21 Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'I'll only do one or two one-shots for this' I said. 'It won't be a long work' I said.
> 
> Yeah right.
> 
> Well, this is gonna be a mini-series now, apparently. No specific number of chapters, since they're all loosely connected experiences the kids have, not a heavy plot, but there's still a blurry story line to follow.   
> This chapter was originally part of the first, but it ended up being so long I had to cut it in half.
> 
> Enjoy!

William was being followed.

It was a nagging fact, sort of poking him in the head every time he went out. Since That Night, (which he desperately wanted to forget but the soft, traitorous part of his mind kept replaying) a week ago, each time he was at the store, or eating outside or something, he felt eyes on the back of his neck. Of course, you couldn't be a cop and _not_ notice every time you were in potential danger. The stalker hadn't done anything direct yet, only staring as far as he could tell, but it was really getting annoying, piled on top of the fact that his medical leave had been lengthened a bit as a result of the stunt from the little 'raccoons' stealing his trash. Turns out, stitches _had_ been torn. Not all of them, but it hurt like hell and he had to get new ones, all while spewing out some lie about tripping and falling. Damn it, he could practically _see_ Wright's slimy grin of superiority.

So one day, he purposely walked down into an alleyway, hoping to lure his stalker to him. Unconsciously, he clenched his knuckles and prepared for a fight. If the person wanted to get him by surprise, they had another thing coming. He would arrest their sorry ass.

There was a rustle of a tin can behind him.

_Got you._

William jumped around and put his fists up, fully prepared to pummel the stranger–

A tiny gasp made his steps stutter. He swore he could hear a train wreck somewhere inside his head.

It was a boy.

 _The_ little boy, from that night.

The kid staggered backwards, eyes wide. William forced himself to relax in favor of detailing the child's face for the first time, now that they weren't blanketed by darkness.

The boy couldn't be more than 10, but he was so thin and covered by oversized clothes that it was difficult to tell. He was in dire need of a haircut, but below his black bangs he could see two big brown eyes and a small nose. His skin was almost ghostly white, riddled with scratches and dirt. His expression, guarded and far too weary for a kid, pulled at William's heartstrings.

"Oh...hi, kid" he moved slowly down to a knee. "Sorry I scared you"

The kid stared. It was kind of unnerving.

"Uh, how are you? Found your parents yet?"

The kid tilted his head. William had a bad feeling.

"Do you... _have_ parents?"

The kid shook his head. 

"What about other family?"

Shake again.

Jesus. William swallowed. No wonder they were wandering around unsupervised. The boy didn't seem particularly devastated by his orphan status though, so he wasn't sure what to say. Anything else than the whole gone parents subject though. The kid seemed receptive, more so that he'd been that night, and he wasn't running away, so William would take his chance to ask his questions.

"How long have you been homeless?"

The kid frowned. William _really_ wished he would talk, but he wasn't about to push him. Lord knows what they went through. He didn't get an exact answer–or an answer at _all_ –but he would say, based on their appearance, maybe months, at the very least.

"Okay, uh, have you talked to anyone about this?" he shifted so he was better accommodated. He wouldn't go closer unless he had to. "Like the police?"

The boy morphed his expression into a look of confusion. William buried his concern deep down, because there was just _no way_ that what looked to be going on was going on. Unfortunately–or fortunately, depending on the situation–, William's theories were almost always right, and this looked to be no exception.

"Do you know where the police station is?"

A tilt of the head. Okay, the next theory was far fetched, but he needed to cover all his bases.

"Do you... _know_ who the police are?"

A shake.

Okay, William, breathe in, breathe out. This just got _way_ worse. What child didn't know what the police were?! Even six years old knew how to call 911 for emergencies.

"Okay, alright" he muttered. "The police are _good_ guys, okay? They help people, they help everyone that's in trouble, and fight bad guys"

The boy looked like the concept of it was straight up _alien_. Where was he from? William screamed internally.

"And _I'm_ a member of the police. I'm a police officer, which means I'm a _good_ guy. Which means I won't hurt you"

The boy looked skeptical, which, fair enough. William wasn't about to gain his trust in two minutes. He could always show him his badge as proof, which he carried around with him wherever he went, but he had a feeling it wouldn't mean much for him. He looked around half heartedly.

"Where's...where's your little friend?"

The boy looked guilty for a moment, before shaking his head yet again.

"They're not here? What are you doing here then?"

"...Food"

William did a double take. Had he just...? 

"What was that?" he asked, just to hear the boy's voice again.

"You said you'd give us food" The kid's words came out raspy, like he wasn't accustomed to talking, and he spoke with a sort of breathy whisper, making William have to strain his ear to listen.

"Yeah...yeah, of course" he said quickly. "Of course I'll give you food" 

William stood up slowly, groaning at his aching joints. _Calm down, grandpa, you're not even 37 yet_. The boy still took a step back. The smell from him wafted up until his nostrils were clogged. He schooled his expression into something neutral so his nausea wasn't visible. He'd smelled way worse in some cases.

"Come, I'll get something for you" he jerked his head towards one of the shops. A bakery, more specifically. The kid would be better off to answer his questions with a full belly. But the boy stayed where he was at, and shook his head. William suppressed a sigh. Well, he supposed he could get something to go. He was relieved though, that the kid knew at least this. Stranger danger and all of that.

"Well, alright. Then I'll go buy something and then come back. Is that okay?"

The boy stared, _again_. Was...was that a yes or...? Deciding it would be better to just move already, William nodded awkwardly, and, making sure his movements would be plain to see, walked over to the bakery. There were a lot of goodies he could buy, but he decided something easy to eat would be better. The kids were literally eating _trash_ , so their stomachs could be tender and easily damaged. In the end, he settled for plain bread and some pandebonos* without fillings. He bought several, so the kid could take them to his friend if he wanted, and so William could eat too and not just stare creepily at him while he ate. _If_ he was still there, that is. He wouldn't be surprised if the kid had just bailed, but the promise of food should, in theory, have made him stay.

And indeed, there he was.

Scuffing his bare foot idly into the ground, he looked up at his approach. He looked surprised, which threw an extra couple of darts at his heart. Did he expect him to just leave and not give him the promised food? It was possible. But William wasn't that kind of person. He'd been called a _bastard_ once or twice, yes, but he wasn't so much scum as to leave a kid hungry and alone.

_He wondered who had done it before, and wanted their address, thank you._

Of course, an alleyway wasn't really a place for eating, so William motioned for the kid to follow and took him to a small park just two blocks away from his house. He could sense people looking at him, perplexed, and he could understand, since the boy wasn't presentable at all and William did, pride aside. They made an unusual pair. The man found them an empty bench and they sat down. William didn't miss how the boy sat on the very edge of the seat. He looked uncomfortable, and he squirmed endlessly, possibly trying to find a comfortable position. William made himself busy opening the bag of the takeout, keeping an eye on the kid all the while.

The boy first sat down on the edge looking down at his dangling feet, like he'd said–and he hadn't noticed before but he was _tiny_ , they both were– but then startled and sought another position, this time sitting with his legs crossed. This one seemed to be no good either, because the kid twitched, and was that a hint of pain on his face? While he slid back down the bench, apparently done with trying to sit, William shot a look at the kid's legs, hoping to see the cause of the discomfort. The search was unsuccessful, since the boy's feet were so covered in grime and dirt they were almost black at this point, but William would imagine it couldn't be nice at all to wander through the streets barefoot.

When the boy finally stood still, William stopped pretending to rummage inside the bag and fished out one of the breads. He offered it to the kid. When the gesture went without reciprocation, the man tried a different approach and left the bread on top of a napkin, on the bench, and slid it to him. This time the did take it. Figures. William started eating without fanfare, hoping to show the kid there was nothing to be afraid of, and his efforts proved fruitful when he glanced at him and brought the bread closer to his face, sniffing it. William bit back a laugh when he saw how the kid practically _salivated_ , before a shadow of grimness swallowed his amusement. The bread was good of course, but it was just bread, not even freshly baked, and no kid should look at the plain dough like the boy was. Like he'd never had anything as good as this. The sight reminded him of his mission, but he let the boy at least take a bite before starting his queries.

The child bit a minuscule piece of bread, but his eyes widened right away, and the salivation increased ten-fold. He chewed quickly before stuffing the rest in his mouth so abruptly William worried he would choke. The bread was gone in a matter of seconds. The boy licked his dirty fingers–William grimaced–and tried to look nonchalant, but the cop could see him sneaking glances at the bag in his hand. The man smiled sadly.

"Want more?"

The boy looked surprised at being found out, but shook his head. Poor kid.

"There's no need to lie" William said softly. "There's more than enough. Here, you can have it" he slid the bag over to the kid, forgetting about his share of the goodies. The boy's eyes went round in his shock, and he took the bag, almost reverentially. William felt the hole in his emotions cave in more when that same look of wonder was directed at _him_. He'd been looked at that before, on the job. It was the look of someone who was staring up at what they called a hero. A savior.

"Keep it" he insisted. "It's yours"

The boy clenched the bag in his hands before nodding and putting it in a pocket of his oversized trench coat. It was time.

"So...can I ask you something?"

Those brown eyes looked at him again curiously, and he was pleased–and sad–to see that they no longer held the suspicion from before, at least for now. It was a little worrying. If all it took was a bag of bread to gain these kids over, then he was glad _he_ found them before anyone else. It was something easily exploitable. 

"What's your name?" Establish familiarity, break the ice, get him talking. "Mine is William. William Allen"

A few seconds passed, the kid visibly deliberating if confessing his name would do any harm. William knew that it wouldn't. Names weren't sensitive info, but it would be useful to him, at least. That way he could look the kids up in the system, see if there were any matches.

"Mono"

What? William stared at the newly dubbed Mono, wondering if it was a joke. That wasn't–that wasn't a _name_ , at least not one he'd heard before. Didn't that mean monkey in Spanish or something? In English it meant one, or a single something, which really wasn't much better.

"I–I see. And...your little friend?"

The eyes became more guarded. Okay, so the friend was a sensitive subject. Noted.

"...Six"

No last name for either of them. Why were they named after _numbers?_ William tried and failed to come up with an answer that wasn't as twisted as the ones he was imagining. It wasn't like they were _experiments_ or something, right? ...No, based on this, there could potentially be more of them. More kids. And they could be named after numbers too. He hummed, trying to keep calm. It was a bit hard though, especially since this was proving to look like a case of human trafficking. Those bastards often used numerical designations for their 'merchandise'.

"I-I see. How old are you guys?"

The boy seemed to think, then he shrugged. He didn't know. William swallowed.

"Okay. Are there more of you?"

Mono's eyes darkened.

"No. Not anymore"

William felt his chest go cold. Until now, the pieces of this puzzle in his head were painting a horrible picture, which his sharp mind was creating from the clues. Had they escaped the ring of trafficking (if there was one)? If so, it seemed none of the others had made it. He clenched his fist, encountering the dark feeling of disappointment from whenever a case ended up with casualties creep up on him. And this wasn't even a _case_.

 _Not until I make it one_, he promised himself.

"I'm sorry about that. Um...where do you come from? I'm from this state*" he offered, wanting to light up the mood and stop thinking about dead children.

A tilt of the head. A sign William was quickly starting to realize meant Mono didn't know what he was talking about. Further still. Going with the ring theory, they very well could have been locked away somewhere until now, but that meant they were kidnapped somehow, and he should know where he was from. But he'd said they had no parents. Was that a lie? Or he was just too little to remember? Just _how_ long they'd been locked up? _Did they even know where they were?_

"We're in the US" he tried. The tilted head didn't straighten. He swallowed. "The...United States? Of America?"

Nothing. Jesus. So they _were_ too little to remember and had never been told anything? That's what it seemed like. And they couldn't be from another country, since Mono spoke English with perfect accent from the few words he'd said, unless they'd been taught, but then his facial features would be different, telling from the place of origin. _Cool your jets, Allen, you don't know what is really going on. Not yet._ Mono seemed to think a bit, before crouching down on the ground and drawing on the dirt. William leaned forward to see.

The boy was drawing blocks. Rectangles. A...city, it seemed. He pointed at it repeatedly. William huffed a laugh. That told him absolutely nothing of their place of origin, but he'd take what he could get. 

"Okay. So you lived in a city. Was it _this_ city?"

Shake. Okay, so not from here.

"Do you remember its name?"

Pause. Shake. Hm.

"Did you...did you leave that city then, to come here?"

Nod. Okay, he was getting somewhere. William didn't really mind playing 21 questions with the kid, but he _really_ wished he would talk. Of course, nothing was ever that easy. That was alright. William was a patient guy, he could wait.

"And your friend came with you"

Nod.

"How did you come?"

Mono's jaw tightened. He didn't answer. Huh.

"Okay, that's alright" he took a deep breath, and slid down slowly to the kid's level, abandoning the bench. His side burned in protest, but not as much as it did before. He'd be free to go back to work soon.

...He wasn't as excited as he thought he would be.

William looked at the little boy with all the seriousness he could muster.

"Kid...Mono. Look, what I'm about to ask is _very_ important, and I need you to tell me the _truth_ , okay?"

Mono's expression closed off again. Guarded. The brief entry William had been granted was closing, so he needed to make the most of it as long as he could.

"Were you...were you running from something? Was somebody hurting you there, in _any_ way?"

Mono flinched, grasping the trench coat with a force that painted his knuckles white. William thought he saw a hint of panic in his brown eyes. Something dark, pained and far too old to be in a face like this. The boy started stepping back slowly, keeping his eyes on the ground. His time was up. William tried to look for something to say, _anything_ , but the words just wouldn't come out the way he wanted. Instead, he just said,

"W-Well, if you want more food, don't be shy" He tried to smile. "My door is always open"

_So pathetic, Allen. You're a police officer, and yet the only thing you can offer is food._

Mono glanced up once and nodded robotically, turning around and heading for the streets once again. William didn't know where he was heading, and he itched to find out, but he didn't want to break this fragile, fragile thing he'd manage to build between him and Mono. He wasn't so stupid as to call it _trust_. But it was something. It was a start.

William sighed, looking at the discarded napkin on the floor, crumbs of bread scattered.

Mono hadn't answered his last question. But he didn't need to. William knew what the answer was.

_Jesus, kid, what happened to you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UP NEXT: Mono never trusted anyone in his life. He yearned to, he wanted to, but there was no room for it in their world. Not until Six. Not until this place. Mono had always been adaptable, a survivor. This world had different rules, so he would try to adjust to them. And that included trying to trust someone other than themselves for the first time. William seemed sincere enough. Could his promises of safety and food be real? 
> 
> \-----
> 
> *pandebono: Colombian cheese bread, sometimes you can get them filled with arequipe (a sort of caramel spread) or bocadillo (guava sweet). They are Y U M M Y.  
> *I'm from this state: I'll avoid specifying which state they're in, since I'm not from the US and thus don't know how things work or specific qualities of any of them, so you can imagine them being in whatever state you like.
> 
> I'm really glad everyone is liking William ^ ^ I literally made his character up exclusively for this story in like ten minutes, but I ended up getting attached too. Poor bby just wants to make his raccoons happy.
> 
> And, one last thing. This work has NO pairings. William's gonna have his hands full already, I've never really shipped Six and RK, since they never even met, nor Mono and Six, because they're literally children, and even so, they have more things to worry about than silly crushes. Namely: avoiding getting killed. So yeah.
> 
> Stay tuned!


	3. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop! This week's academic work was busier than I thought, so it might be a while before the next chapter is out! Please be patient! Thanks! :)

Mono walked through the streets of the city, keeping his head down.

That was...strange. He didn't think that man would notice he was there. Evidently, he was sharper than he gave him credit for. Surprise number one. Then, when he'd discovered Mono's presence, he was sure he would kill him. He'd seen his stance. Fists ready, feet spread. He knew that position because it was one he'd wore many times, as had Six. So he was sure there would be a fight coming in. One Mono couldn't win. William was small, but he was still stronger than Mono. He didn't stand a chance. 

That was why he'd gone alone.

It was when that strange guy told them he would give them food if they just asked–and what a weird thing to say, why would anyone need to ask and beg for food if he could just take it? Now that he thought about it, he could have killed them then, too. He had Mono in his grasp and everything, yet he'd still let him go. He'd let them both go. Mono had been scared, but his cursed curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he'd decided to investigate. Trail him, find out what he did day to day, see if he was suspicious. Then he'd see.

He hadn't brought Six along, because he _knew_ she wouldn't approve of what he was doing. So he made up an excuse about looking for food and went on his own. It wasn't weird, since they often split up anyway to cover more ground. He hadn't brought her along so he could be calmer.

He hadn't brought Six along so she would be _safe_.

So if things went wrong, and the man decided to kill Mono, at least she would remain alive. She could run.

He would give his own life if it meant Six could be okay. Because she'd done the same for him. She'd come back, and saved him.

...He still didn't know why she did it.

 _Anyhow_ , he'd been faced with danger, and yet surprise number two: William hadn't attacked. He'd talked to him. He bought him food. Non-rotten, _delicious_ food he had never tasted before. He had asked questions that made him uncomfortable, of course, but he never pushed for anything more than the answer Mono decided to give. Because he was a good guy. Or so he said. Because there were people in this world who saved other people. 

It sounded like a lie, a very obvious lie, but he couldn't be sure yet.

Something about him made Mono's chest tighten. Like a bird, his heartbeat fluttered against his ribcage, mixing in equal parts fear and hope. He wanted to hope. He wanted to, so bad, because people here weren't monsters, or at least didn't look like them. Things here were shiny, new, and it was _loud_ , but a good kind of loud, like you could laugh and cry and do things at any volume you wanted because there weren't monsters out to get you. The smells were nice, there were so many colors, and the the people all looked so _happy_. When Six and him first exited through the screen of the TV, they had lied there, just breathing, calming down, looking up at the sky, not daring to believe their impossible plan had actually _worked_. But at first sight, they knew this wasn't the same place they'd been in.

It had been night.

But instead of the perpetual cloud of fog and gloomy clouds that they had expected, they had seen a sky blanketed in stars. A deep blue and black in some places, and the little twinkling things shining through. They had never seen stars before, only looked at them in the torn, bloody picture books they sometimes found. Mono had felt... _something_ then. Something light and nice in his chest that made him want to smile. It was weird, and he didn't know what it was, but it didn't hurt, so he let it be. He thought they could start anew. He thought they could maybe– _just_ maybe, be normal here.

But–

But. Mono had tried to lower his guard once. And it backfired terribly. It wasn't even their fault! Six and him had been walking through a pretty full sidewalk, just until they found another good alleyway to duck into, but in spite of their careful steps, Six had still bumped into a lady, stumbling and almost falling. It was to be expected. Six had looked up at her, still in a daze, and Mono had tried to smile, to tell her sorry, we didn't mean to, but the words wouldn't come out and his smile must have been weird because the lady had turned her nose up at them and looked at him–at _Six_ –like they were dirt on the bottom of her shoes. 

Mono had been looked at like that before. With hatred, disgust. Before he'd found his paper bag, even, anyone who saw his face immediately hated him, tried to kill him. Mono didn't understand why, even after giving in and covering his face. He had just assumed it was because he was a kid, like everyone else. They tried to kill other kids too, right?

After Six let him go though, he suddenly realized the reason.

"Watch where you're going, _indigents_ " she spat out. Mono had flinched, and Six too, but Six didn't like things that made her flinch, didn't like looking weak, so she had kicked her in the shins, but not like she did with Mono sometimes, she kicked _hard_ , growling, and then the lady yelled and everyone was looking and Mono had grabbed his friend and ran to save their lives, heart about to explode–

...It wasn't a good day for either of them. It was the day Mono realized this paradise wasn't so good as it seemed. There were still monsters here. They just looked different. 

He didn't know why that made him want to cry. 

He knew, didn't he? Deep down. And Six had told him too. To not lift his hopes up too much. This world was better than where they were from, but Mono just _wished–_

He didn't know what he wished. It wouldn't come true anyway.

That day, Six kicked the trashcans of their self proclaimed base again and again, making noises of anger, and Mono had let her because she just got like that sometimes. Meanwhile, he had touched his face incessantly, hating the feeling of it and wondering what a _real_ smile looked like.

Mono wondered if they looked like William's smiles.

...

He never trusted anyone in his life. He yearned to, he _wanted_ to, but there was no room for it in their world. Not until Six. In this one, it remained to be seen. Mono had always been adaptable, a survivor. This world had different rules, so he would try to adjust to them. And that included trying to trust someone other than themselves for the first time. William seemed sincere enough. Could his promises of safety and food be real? 

He didn't look at Mono like he was scum, at least. He didn't look at him like he was _good_ either. Like...like looking at him made him sad, but he still smiled and gave him things.

_Why?_

Could it be? Could it be William wasn't one of the monsters? Here everyone looked the same, so it was hard to tell who was bad and who wasn't. But the man hadn't lied, and his tone had been soft when he asked him questions, and when Mono had freaked out he let him go without complaining. Could it be that William was...?

....He wanted to say no. He wanted to say William was lying, because shutting himself in was easier. It was safer.

But, what if.

What if he was telling the truth? Would he give them more food, if they just asked, like he said? Or would he use it to lure them in, like the traps of the hunter?

Mono squeezed the bag of bread to his chest, reveling in the nice smell. It tasted good. It wasn't poisoned either. 

....

He _could_ believe, just a little, couldn't he? He could believe the man was telling the truth. Just for now. For the food. He was fine eating the things they found in the trash, those were okay too, but they were supposed to be _safe_. This was supposed to be a new beginning, a better life. And they couldn't let go of the city if they behaved the same they did there, right?

He could believe. Just a bit. A tiny, little bit.

_If he ended up being a liar, Mono wasn't sure he could trust anyone ever again._

.

.

.

"What's that?"

Six eyed Mono's bag of food curiously. They met back again, in their 'base'. Which was really just an alleyway with a pretty big trash container. Six had a half eaten...something in her hands, along with a container of something greasy.

Mono swallowed. He didn't want to hide anything from Six, but she definitely wouldn't like this.

"Bread" he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Six sniffed, looking suspicious.

"It's clean. Did someone drop it?"

Oh jeez. Oh jeez.

"Not...exactly"

Six narrowed her black eyes at him.

"Where did you get it?"

She was too smart. They both were. They had to be. 

"Someone...uh, someone gave it to me" he gave up.

"What? Who?" Six snatched the bag away, dumping the contents on the ground. Mono didn't mind. He'd eaten worse. "Mono, did you–did you _talk_ to somebody?"

"Yeah..." he scratched his arm, wincing when a scab came off. "But–but it's okay! He didn't do anything–"

"You didn't go to scavenge for food, did you?" Six grabbed his arm harshly. "Where were you?"

"Uh..." Mono stuttered. "Remember–remember the guy from a few weeks ago? The one who had that vegetable garden?"

Six's eyes shone in recognition. 

"You went to that man?!" she whispered incredulously. "Mono, he almost _killed_ you!"

"No he didn't!" he yanked his arm away from her hand. "And I don't think he had any intentions to, anyway!"

"Are you even _hearing_ yourself right now?" Six was quickly becoming angry. He could tell. "He grabbed you, Mono! He was going. To _kill_ you"

Mono crossed his arms, huffing. "I don't think William is like that" he muttered. Six heard anyway.

" _William?_ So now you're all buddy-buddy with him? Just how much did you tell him?! Our entire _life_ story?!" she glared. Mono sniffed, ticked.

"I know you apparently don't think so, Six, but I'm smarter than that" he bit out. "I barely said anything. But he gave me the bread _anyway_ " he stressed the last part.

"It could be poisoned!" she argued.

"It's not! I tasted it!" 

That was the wrong thing to say. Six gasped, and suddenly wrapped an arm around his neck, choking him.

"Spit it out! Spit it out now!"

" _Augh–_ Six, I said it's not poisoned!" he yelled, dislodging himself from her grip and pushing her away. Six went down with a quiet groan. Mono had always been stronger.

"What's the _matter_ with you?! I can take care of myself!" he stomped his foot down. "The food isn't poisoned, William didn't hurt me, and I'd appreciate if you could _trust me for once!"_

Six fell quiet, glaring at the ground. Mono panted for a few seconds, quickly feeling guilt swallow his anger. He had never been a temperamental person. He sighed, kneeling in front of Six.

"Six, I'm sorry...but I mean it. I don't think he wants to hurt us" he tried. His friend's eyes flickered upwards.

"How are you so sure?" she whispered bitterly.

"I'm not. But...I'm tired of living like this" he admitted. "The whole point of us coming here was to stop living this way. And sometimes, you just have to take a blind jump"

He smiled. "Like jumping over an abyss, and hoping someone catches you" he elbowed Six gently. Six let out a breath, trembling.

"But what if they let you fall?" her voice sounded small, riddled with guilt.

"Oh, Six" Mono gave in and carefully put an arm around her, in their version of a hug. "I told you, didn't I? I forgive you"

"But that's just it, stupid. I let you go once" Six curled into herself, impossibly smaller. "I'm not losing you again. I don't wanna go to more creepy Towers"

Mono felt warmth all over. To have someone care about him like this...he was so lucky.

"You won't have to. _Trust_ me, Six. At least for the food" he joked.

The little girl's gaze trailed over to the goodies strewn on the ground. Mono waited. 

"...I guess if they taste good, I can give them a pass" she decided. Mono smiled. He didn't care if he was doing it right.

"They do. It's the best thing I've ever tasted"

And afterwards, when Six hesitantly put a bit of bread in her mouth and then proceeded to absolutely _devour_ every last one, Mono chewed on his piece and let her have the rest.

Somehow, they tasted better when they shared.

.

.

.

 _ **A/N:**_ Since someone requested drawings of the characters to make fanart, [here they are](https://postimg.cc/qzH5J5Kt) as little doodles :)

Don't forget, if you want to do art based on this story, please link it to me so I can enjoy it as well! Thank you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: William wasn't sure if he was dreaming. Maybe the coffee had gone bad. Maybe he had just gone insane all-together. Surely that was the reason why he was seeing the little boy from that night halfway through his window at 6 pm* on a Sunday.
> 
> \---
> 
> *William is, in fact, not small at all. Mono just labels him–and everyone else–as such, because the people of his world were literally giants.
> 
> *Blanketed in stars is a stretch, since they're in a city and stars aren't very bright because of all the light, but again, they don't have anything better to compare it to.
> 
> *Six is starting to seriously consider putting Mono on a leash. That boy is too reckless for his own good.


	4. Routine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been so sweet with all your comments :)  
> So I made an effort and managed to squeeze this chapter through! Enjoy!

"You're sure then" 

"Yeah"

"Absolutely sure?"

"Not _absolutely_ , but yeah"

Six sighed. 

"Fine. But if he does something, we're _not_ coming back"

"Fair enough"

They were walking towards William's house, intending to prove Mono's theory, and hopefully get some more food. The girl's stomach rumbled, reminding them of their mission. Mono was glad she didn't get those hunger pains she talked about anymore. They sounded awful. Now, she said, she just had this sort of 'black hole' in her stomach. She could eat and eat, but she would never be satisfied. That...wasn't really much better, but it was still a good change from being forced to eat raw rats, in Mono's humble opinion.

He...wasn't sure why their abilities stayed intact crossing through worlds. Six's hunger, in spite of having diminished a great deal, was still there, and Mono was willing to bet his were too.

Not like he was trying to find out. 

Good riddance. They were _his_ powers, not Mono's. He didn't want them.

Anyway, William's house appeared in the distance like a dreadful mirage. It was sunset. A perfect time. Not too dark that the man could possibly be asleep, but not too bright that they could be spotted. Six's hand was nearly strangling his. Mono took a deep breath, and started deftly climbing the fence, both of them dropping down below with nary a sound. Walking around the house and into the backyard, they stepped over to where the man had come from last time. They gazed up at the door. Six stared at him, expectant. The boy reached out with a thin hand and tried the doorknob, feeling a bit out of place. He still wasn't used to things being his height. The door didn't budge.

Mono looked around. There...wasn't anything he could break the door with, was there? No axes, or anything that could cut nice and quick. The door wasn't made of wood either. So what could they do? Six tugged on his sleeve, guiding him behind the house. A window! Mono jumped and pushed himself up, opening the window just enough for them to be able to pass through. He didn't want to break the glass if possible. William would kill them. He was halfway through though, when he heard a loud clatter. He looked up, alarmed.

William stood in front of him, gaping, in a T-Shirt and shorts. He held a cup of something steaming, and a spoon was on the floor.

Mono swallowed. Oops.

.

.

.

William wasn't sure if he was dreaming.

Maybe the sleeping pills he sometimes took–the trash seen on the job didn't go away by itself–were making him see things. Maybe the coffee had gone bad. Maybe he had just gone insane all-together.

 _Surely_ that was the reason why he was seeing the little boy from that night halfway through his window at 6 pm* on a Sunday.

The boy–Mono, he reminded himself, yelped quietly after a few seconds of astonished staring from both parties and quickly wiggled out of the window. William set the cup back into the table recklessly and practically ran outside, almost slipping on the fallen spoon, barely catching himself with one hand. Dammit. He didn't need a broken neck on top of everything. Bracing himself for the absolute cluster-funk that was surely to be outside, he took a deep breath and exited his house.

William blinked. Mono wasn't alone. He'd brought little raincoat kid this time. Six, if he recalled correctly. He was still a little queasy about those number names. They were currently running to the fence– _again_.

"W-Wait!" William yelled, struggling with adjusting his volume so it wouldn't be frightening but he would still be heard. "Mono, wait!"

The boy's steps stuttered, and they came to a screeching halt. Raincoat kid took a few more steps back. Evidently the more cautious of the two.

"I'm not mad, okay? So don't go" he explained. "I'm not mad, just–to be honest, I'm just confused" 

Mono paused for a few moments. Six looked from him to their friend.

"Why–uh, why did you come in through the window?" William asked, feeling stupid. Did he somehow misunderstand his offer as 'come in whenever we please and raid the fridge'? He hoped not. He wanted them to have food, of course, but not like _this_. This first step...he wanted to be someone _trustworthy_. Not a house they snuck into for fear of the big, bad adult coming and eating them or something, like in those fairy tales.

The boy hung down his head and shuffled his dirty feet. Nothing. Okay, deduction skills, activate.

"Did you knock and I didn't hear you?" It could be possible, since he was occupied with his dinner.

His...late, cold dinner. _Siiiiigh_.

Mono did that tilt again. Okay.

" _Did_ you knock?"

"Why?" Mono whispered, William having to strain his ears to listen at this distance. Mono's buddy seemed to be scandalized by something. Was it because the boy was talking to him? Did Six not trust him? Possible, and completely understandable. If they really came from an awful place like he was imagining...William wouldn't trust anyone either. He didn't know what to do with the theory of human trafficking either, especially since....

"Um. Knocking is–" William composed himself from the shock. This children constantly surprised him. 

He got in position, kneeling down with his hands on sight, clearly with no weapons. Appear unthreatening. He was glad his face didn't have any scars, like that one guy in the precinct. It wouldn't do to look like a thug while talking to children. _Sorry I called you that, Jackson_.

"Knocking on the door is something people do _before_ going into a house" he explained. Mono came a little closer, while Six stayed back. Good. "It lets the owner know there is somebody outside who wants to see them, so they go open the door"

"If nobody opens the door, then the person knocks again, and if they _still_ don't open, they go away and come back later"

Mono blinked. William wasn't sure he understood, but he at least hoped he would knock next time. The boy looked back at his friend quizzically, at which Six glared at William with the heat of a thousand suns. Wow. This one was going to be difficult. Mono looked at him again expectantly without saying anything. He looked like a puppy waiting for his bowl. William smiled at him, understanding. Of course. These kids weren't here to listen to an old man ramble about etiquette and the perks of knocking against breaking and entering. They were hungry, and they wanted food. Simple as that. 

It shouldn't be, but that's just how it was.

_For now._

William straightened slowly. Mono still took a step back. Six took a step forward, threatening. The man held up his hands.

"I'm gonna go inside for a moment. To get your food" he said. The children visibly perked up at that. "Do you want to come in?"

The glare intensified. Okay, so that was a no. Weird. They seemed fine with going in just a few minutes ago. He wonder what changed. He wondered if it was him.

"Alright, that's fine" he scrambled for a compromise. He wasn't so good as a negotiator as that guy on one of the science fiction books he liked to read. He wished it was as easy as he made it look. "Well–how–how about you just wait here on the steps?"

His back door–the one he'd come out of–had a short set of stairs leading to the garden. It was still open, and he kept it that way for the kids' sake. He stepped over them, and into the house, without stopping to see if they actually sat.

He let his smile fall then.

His trafficking ring investigation...wasn't great. He'd made some calls, pulled some strings, but none of his leads had resulted in anything. That wasn't to say that there were no human trafficking rings at all, in spite of what he'd prefer, but not one matched the description he had so far. The kids _definitely_ did, touching all points for red flags–or should he say blue flags–to look for in a trafficking victim, but the _place_ was what had him stumped. There were no trafficking rings that used numbers as merchandise's designations in this state. There was a guy he knew, Donny Rogers, who was undercover in one of those, but almost all the rings he'd seen had been of women or mixed. The children he'd seen and talked to were a promising lead, but none of them had _numbers_ for names. So that meant either they came from a really far away ring–which begged the question of how they gotten here or crossed the border–or they didn't belong to one at all.

The second option was simultaneously the best and worst. Best, because they wouldn't be merchandise. The worse because...well.

William looked at the cookies being microwaved distantly and sighed, feeling the pounding headache intensifying.

He could think about this later. What was clear now was that those children needed his help. He was a police officer for a reason. Maybe he wasn't the purest guy on the block, but he at least did his damn job.

He would look into this. He would proceed from the answer. But he _would_ help these children.

That was promise.

.

.

.

Six didn't trust that guy.

She didn't trust his smiles, his house, or his words, or his promises.

He got too close to Mono, looked at her like she was a _baby_ that needed help, and–and–

And he was _infuriating_.

It was infuriating because she couldn't pin down anything that was actually _wrong_.

That night, that first time they'd gone to his house, he'd given them cookies. Weird looking cookies with uncomfortable warmth and two glasses of milk. Six hadn't known what cookies were. But she did know what milk was.

It was what they gave babies in the Maw.

When they were sleeping in their beds, they sometimes woke up and there would be a bottle of something white next to them. They would drink it and go back to bed. Six tried it once. It was bitter. Bitter milk, bitter cookies.

Only they weren't.

The cookies were crunchy and tasty and warm, and the milk was warm too, and not bitter at all, but sweet and refreshing. And she hated it. She hated it because the black hole in her stomach opened hungrily and demanded something to devour. She hated that she gladly swallowed all those things to make it quiet. She hated that she wanted _more_.

It wasn't like she regretted all those things she'd been forced to eat back in the Maw though. She _needed_ to get them, because without warning or reason, her stomach felt like it was getting scratched open from the inside, and her vision tunneled and she couldn't walk straight until she found something to devour. At that time, she could swear he heard the faint melody of her music box just next to her ears, behind the buzzing noise, and the shadows seemed just a bit darker. To get rid of that pain, she would do _anything_ , so she didn't regret it....at least not the animals. That little nome she ate...it had been good to her. She didn't know what those little pointy hat things were, nor why they were in the Maw, but they had been _smaller_ than her, which was a change. They had been smaller and scared, and the one she ate offered the sausage as means to quell the hunger.

But somehow...

Somehow, she had gone for its throat instead.

...

She didn't like to think about it.

Anyhow, what she hated was that she found herself turning away from trash and rotten food, when before she wouldn't have cared. She would have eaten it. How disgusting. The man's food had made her soft. Soft and weak and pathetic. But she didn't want that bad food anymore. She wanted the man's food. Which she hated. She hated that they went there day after day. She hated that the man had food every time. She hated that he never seemed to get tired of seeing them. Of babying them.

She hated it!

And especially how Six's stupid monkey brain lit up every time she caught a glimpse of his house in the distance. It wasn't like she was _happy_ to see it. It was her brain, conditioned with the promise of food. 

The man didn't do anything, ever. 

Sometimes he would try and ask them dumb questions, but if they weren't in the mood he never pushed. Sometimes he just sat a bit far from them in silence while they ate.

He never complained that Six didn't talk.

He was confusing. Infuriating. And he didn't have a pattern. How was Six supposed to predict what he would do, how he would react, if he was so stupidly blank?!

She didn't get it. She didn't get what he wanted. What he _truly_ wanted. He must have another intention, right? A hidden reason for helping. Maybe–

Maybe he wanted to lure them in and kill them, yeah! Eat them! He did have a kitchen, after all. Maybe he wanted to cook them and cut them up into tiny pieces and put them over the fire, or–or–store their bodies in the fridge, in jars to eat later–

Six gagged without meaning to.

"Woah, are–are you okay?" William's–The _man's_ voice brought her back to the present. Right.

Thinking about turning into meat while eating wasn't the best choice. It wasn't like Six was squeamish or anything, but some things were best left untouched.

They were in the man's vegetable garden again. His backyard. At his house. Sitting in the steps. 

_Get a grip, you baby._

Six didn't dignify the man's question with a response, feeling too embarrassed. She swallowed with difficulty, eyeing today's snacks–sandwiches–with something akin to disgust. It's not that they weren't good, like she said, the man's food was always tasty, but it was just...

The girl suppressed a sigh, putting the half eaten snack down, willing to calm her heart down. She was three sandwiches in already. 

_The man was never bothered. Why wasn't he bothered? It was his food, wasted on them, why wasn't he mad–?_

"Maybe you ate too fast" the aforementioned guy's words cut through again. "Slow down a bit. Sandwich's not goin' anywhere" he chuckled slightly.

Six glared daggers, baring her teeth to let him know just how much she didn't welcome the humor. She wasn't a baby.

Of course the sandwich wouldn't go anywhere, it couldn't _walk_.

Mono glanced at her worriedly, munching on his own sandwich. He was only through his first one still. His concerned eyes only made her foul mood worsen. He didn't need to worry about her. He didn't need to, because she was fine. _She_ was the one who protected him, in any case, not the other way around.

_A hammer hitting a wretched hand, a gentle beckoning, the snapping of a rope._

It wasn't the other way around, not anymore. She wasn't dead weight. There was nothing more than she hated that somebody who was useless, and she hated a lot of things. She _refused_ to become one of them. She was fine.

The man stared at her some more, and then poured some more milk in her glass. He made a motion with his arm, like he wanted to give it to her.

Yeah, _right_.

....

Six eyed the hand. She didn't trust this guy. She couldn't _afford_ to trust him. But Mono trusted him, and Mono wasn't dumb. The opposite, actually. It was one of the many things she valued about him as a partner and as a friend, so...

So.

She would do a little test. A little test, to see if he was stupid or not. Useful or not.

So she stood a bit straighter, widening her eyes just a tad, trying to look hopeful. Like she wanted the glass.

Let him try.

If he had half a brain, he would know what to do. If he was intelligent, he would know her already. Many would argue that they hadn't been together long enough, but she knew that wasn't true. One could identify behaviors and patterns on someone quickly enough, if they only paid attention. They _had_ to. So five weeks, give or take, had to be good enough. 

If he wasn't an _idiot_ , he would know she didn't trust him. She came along, she ate his food, but she didn't trust him. He would know how to act, he would know not to get too close. It was the only way she could be sure he wouldn't do something stupid. Something sudden.

Violent.

The man caught onto her shift almost immediately. Six, against herself, was a bit impressed. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Mono looked between her and the man, tilting his head.

The man's hand, holding the glass, twitched. Six cleared her throat, insistent. The appendage came closer. Caught you.

Six prepared to slap the hand away and dump the glass on the ground, prepared to stand triumphantly and laugh in the man's face, because he _lost_ , he lost and she was right, she was right that he was stupid and could not be trusted–

The hand slid away. Six gaped.

The man handed the glass to the very confused Mono, to which he caught on after a few seconds and the boy gave it to her instead. Six took it, feeling dazed.

"Drink it _slowly_ " the man said, smiling. "You'll feel better"

He slapped his thigh lightly, and rose with a groan.

"I'll go for the rest of the sandwiches. Wait here, okay?" Mono nodded, ever the poster boy for good behavior.

And before he left, he turned to look at Six with a grin and,

"Clever girl, aren't you?"

What.

He–he _knew?_

The whole time, he knew it was a–

"What was that about?" Mono whispered, leaning closer to her. Six stared at the man's back, dumbfounded.

"Maybe you were right" Six said as an answer.

"About what?"

"Stuff"

Mono huffed, going back to his sandwich. The girl stared at her own food.

She didn't trust that man. She _didn't_. But...

But, maybe he wasn't so ~~bad~~ useless after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: A peek into William's workplace and his Concerned Parent Thoughts™. Mono wants warmth and makes a decision.  
> \----
> 
> *6 pm is just my time zone, so sorry if it doesn't fit yours :'>
> 
> *Cookie for the one that catches the easter egg reference in the chapter ;) It's kinda subtle, but it's there.
> 
> *Six, testing William: hah you fool i see right through you
> 
> William: Uno Reverse Card
> 
> Six: *surprised pikachu face*


	5. Stormy Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so this week has been really busy and I haven't slept well cuz it's rainy and there's mosquitoes everywhere and I'm tired and wanna sleep for two years.  
> But have this chapter (which is sort of a bridge for the next ones)! ^ ^  
> Revive me with reviews pls :')

William didn't consider himself a person to be easily attached. He didn't cry when his pet rabbit died when he was 5. He didn't really feel hurt for a long time when his first girlfriend broke up with him. But somehow, _somewhere_ along the line, those stray children he had met had dug a hole in his heart and made a place to stay. Like little raccoons. Heh. It didn't matter that they probably didn't feel the same way. It didn't matter that Six didn't talk to him yet. It didn't matter Mono stepped back every time he stood up. They weren't too different from other traumatized kids he saw on the job, but somehow...somehow, he felt like they were a separate category all-together. And so, without meaning to, William found himself dedicating a good 45% of his mental capacity in wondering how they were, if they were hurt, if they were even _alive_ , and things of the like. He found himself wishing they would come get food more often, just so he could see they were still okay. It was weird. He'd never felt like this before.

It was getting kind of hard to focus on his work this way–to which he'd returned to recently–and a wild thought once imbedded itself in his brain in the middle of one of his worry spirals.

_If they lived at my house, I wouldn't worry so much._

That day he barely resisted the urge to slap himself. Hard. That was _impossible_ , right? The children obviously didn't feel comfortable in closed spaces, and they only began to trust him because he gave them food. Their meetings were full of angry munching from one part, meek bites from the other, and unsuccessful questioning from the third. It wouldn't be fair of him to force them to stay, and he was sure they didn't even want to.

And _why_ on Earth wasn't he going to the authorities about this? Well, he knew he _was_ the authorities, which sucked _balls_ when you didn't want to call the shots, and the best he could do was call CPS, but he had already established somehow this case was _different_ , and maybe they'd gone through something worse than he imagined, and he couldn't just break their trust and call someone who'd take them away to an orphanage when they _obviously_ weren't ready and they wouldn't know how to treat them. They wouldn't know Six liked cold food best, and they wouldn't know looking at Mono too much made him uncomfortable, and when they inevitably messed up they would be even _more_ torn than they already were, and they would most certainly run away. William had been sent to a boarding school by his mother once, which wasn't so far off from an orphanage, and he'd _hated_ it there, so much he'd escaped and wandered the streets for three days before finding his way home. Only the kids didn't _have_ a home. They didn't have a home and they wouldn't just run back to William's, because he'd broken their trust calling CPS and now they had no one to trust, cold and alone on the streets, God knows _where–_

So yeah, he could safely say he agonized over the matter for a week straight.

Turns out though, William didn't have to _do_ anything. A storm did it all for him.

It was a Friday, so the precinct was enveloped in a lazy, dreamy kind of mood. Everyone was waiting to leave so they could get home to their wives, husbands, pets or kids. Not William though. The children had come a bit earlier today, at five before he went to work at six thirty, so they had their fill already, and probably wouldn't come back for two days or so. The house would be empty.

...He wasn't sure why that made him sag.

Anyhow, William wasn't doing anything special. Just surfing the web, investigating some petty theft and filling out boring paperwork, and in another tab, looking up the newest TV models. He and the technician he called over had come to the conclusion the poor piece of junk had to be replaced. It was a shame. The old thing had been with him for almost nine years. Oh well. Out with the old, in with the new, as they said.

Oh, and he was also fretting about the kids, as usual. Forecast predicted a pretty big storm that night. Where would they sleep? Mono did confirm they had a base of sorts, but William didn't have much faith in whatever they'd managed to find.

He sighed, catching the attention of his coworker, Stephanie. 

"What's got _you_ all bummed out, Will?" she asked. "What'cha thinking about?"

"Raccoons" he muttered, frustrated. The woman tilted her head with a confused smile.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I just want to leave, is all"

"Don't we all" she nodded in understanding. "Don't let Mitch catch you saying that though. You're supposed to be his best one"

William leaned back in his chair and stretched, feeling the scar on his side tug a bit. 

"Of course not, Steph. Gotta lick the boss's boots and have that promotion, am I right?"

"You practically got it in the bag, dude" she sipped at her coffee. "Just don't overwork yourself too much. You'll bleed out, _again_ "

"You're never gonna let that go, are you"

"You gave us a scare, Will. What can I say?" she shrugged, not looking sorry at all. He hummed, and they shared a comfortable silence for a few more seconds, before Stephanie looked over his shoulder and elbowed him gently.

"Uh, looks like your night is gonna get even worse, pal"

"Why?"

"Rat at six o'clock"

Oh, God, _no_.

"Well, if it isn't officer Allen" the irritating voice sliced through his perfectly composed mood like a knife through butter.

"Officer Wright" he gritted out.

"Haven't seen _you_ here for the last month. Bullet kept you down?" the bastard's blue eyes looked at him with barely hidden contempt.

"You wouldn't bounce back so quickly if you had been the one shot, _buddy_ " he replied, refusing to let the man's presence bother him.

"Oh, but I wouldn't have been shot at all" he laughed. Like nails on a chalkboard. "Just goes to show some of us can handle the heat better than others, I suppose"

Keep calm, Allen. Keep it together.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be, Wright? Oh, wait" he faked surprise. "That's right. You don't. Sorry, I forgot your last girl left. Which one is it now? A Brittney? Maybe a Donna?"

Wright's fists clenched. Stephanie backed up slowly. William couldn't blame her. It wasn't a secret, the animosity between the two of them, but the last heated encounter had resulted in more than a shouting match and two disciplinary warnings. It had cost him two sets of stairs back in the chain of power. He wouldn't let it happen again.

"Funny coming from _you_ " Wright bit out. "Who's gonna keep you company? Your empty beer bottles?"

William shrugged, trying to appear unaffected. "What I do with my time is none of your concern. You should get yourself a life, instead of being so obsessed with mine"

The man's face went cherry red. Ha. Serves him right. He went to open his fat mouth, but William beat him to it.

"Oh, look at the hour. It's time for me to go" he gathered his things and couldn't quite keep the satisfied grin out of his face as he passed the loser by. "Enjoy your 11 pm shift, Wright"

Raindrops followed William on his way home. Stupid Wright. He should keep his idiotic comments to himself. Oh, how he wished he could _bash_ his face in one of these days. So what if they were both white, lonely guys? He didn't have to go and look for his chain and yank it until it snapped. It just went to show what kind of person he was, because _William_ was never the one who started their fights, and everyone could testify to that. Some people were just bitter, he supposed. Bitter and alone.

...Like him.

It was kind of funny.

.

.

.

_Run._

_Run, I have to go._

_Faster, faster._

_Are those boots? Or my feet? His feet? Is he coming? Is he closer?_

_Go faster. I have to go faster. Faster, faster, don't trip._

_What's that sound? The gun. The shotgun. He's going to shoot. Go. Faster!_

_She's in front of me. A box. She's gonna make it. I have to make it. Make it._

_Faster, why can't I go any faster?! It's not enough, it's not–_

_**Bang!** _

_It hurts! It hurts, why?! Why?! Is that blood? Is it mine? It's cold....am I going to die? I can't die, I don't want to! I'm scared._

_I'm scared. It hurts, it burns. Please, please save me, it hurts it **HURTS–!**_

Mono woke up with a gasp.

He pulled his knees closer to his body, shivers running through him in waves. He blinked repeatedly, coming back to reality slowly. He had to calm down.

Nightmares were everyday's bread for them, and it was annoying. The hunter hadn't gotten them in the end, had he? They had escaped, _they_ had shot _him_ , not the other way around.

...That didn't stop his brain from conjuring what ifs, though. Sometimes it was him. Sometimes it was Six. This time it was his turn, it seemed.

Mono sighed, glancing at Six's still sleeping body next to his. They had cuddled up against each other as much as they could. Even his friend, who wouldn't be caught _dead_ snuggling up to anyone, had recognized the severity of the situation and they had abandoned all semblance of pride or embarrassment to keep warm. There was no rhyme or reason to it. No feelings of happiness or calm involved. It was to survive. 

It didn't do much, but still.

They had _seriously_ miscalculated.

Currently, the two of them were in their alleyway, the pouring rain washing off them in waves. They were drenched. Even Six's raincoat couldn't do anything against the storm anymore. Rain wasn't exactly uncommon, and they weren't bothered by it so much–Mono himself had ran through the city in a downpour after all, and he wasn't much worse for wear–but the thing was they were actually beginning to show signs of hypothermia.

They didn't get sick. He didn't know why, didn't question it, but they were still susceptible to the elements. He didn't know if Six knew this, but Mono knew how to recognize when someone was about to succumb to the cold. When he was smaller, one of the older kids had explained it to him. That was the unspoken rule every kid had to do. There weren't any books about survival in that place, or about the dangers, or what deadly signs to look out for, so the oldest kids had the duty to explain it to the younger ones they found. That wasn't to say they formed teams or anything, each one fended for themselves, but they weren't _completely_ heartless. They had to stick together, because if you were a kid it was a death sentence in their world. 

They even got toddlers sometimes.

No one knew where they came from, and no one asked. They only taught them how to survive, and then left them to their own devices, until they–if they were lucky–grew up to teach another, and so on. It was a weak attempt at preserving their numbers. A pathetic attempt, but one nonetheless. 

Mono shivered again.

This was bad. At least when he was moving through the pale city he kept warm because of the exercise, and the hum of static under his skin provided him with heat as well, but here they weren't running, they weren't doing _anything_ , just huddling together and trying to rest and hoping they would wake up in the morning.

It was just like back they were back there.

It was scarily similar.

Mono didn't like it.

He sighed, and flinched when a blast of thunder and lightning split up the sky. With the flash of light, Mono had a flashback to the pale city. It was like they were there. He even expected to see a body or two falling off a building. But nothing happened.

He brought his trembling hands closer together, squinting to see past all the water.

He hated this. He hated being cold and wet and sleepy. He wanted food. He wanted William's food, and his vegetable garden, and that tiny wooden house he had hanging from a post. He didn't know what it was, but it looked pretty. Unreasonably, his mind pictured the house sunny and bright, as opposed to the dark, gloomy sight he knew would be there in real life, paired up with the weather. 

...

_Do you want to come in?_

...Could they?

It wouldn't be a _lot_ of time, he reasoned, nearly desperate to get at least a bit dry. Just for a little while, until the storm passed– _if_ it passed. In the pale city it could go for weeks at a time. William might be annoyed or angry, but they could just stay in the basement or something. They wouldn't bother him, they'd stay out of his way.

He had...he had been nice enough, even though Six was rude and Mono was dumb and they ate all his food. Maybe...maybe he wouldn't mind?

He hoped he wouldn't mind, because _his_ mind was made up and if William wasn't in the house Mono wouldn't 'come back later' like he said, he would go in through the window again and get them to a corner until he arrived. 

Determined, Mono tried to uncurl from his tight little ball without too much pain and prepared to do the hardest thing yet.

Waking Six up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: The storm rages on, and William gets just the two visitors he wanted to see. After all this excitement, a bath is in order!
> 
> (No mini comments today because i'm tired and can't think of anything lol)


	6. Warmth

William sipped his tea, feeling restless.

It was 7 pm, and he was on the couch, buried in blankets and reading a trashy sports magazine. His lights were dim, working at low energy as a result of the storm. That was fine. It gave his house a cozy feeling, if he said so himself. The dark screen of his cracked TV reflected his figure distortedly.

It was Friday. It was a Friday and he should be relaxed and resting. Maybe even sleeping. 

His phone pinged.

 **Steph** : hey will, me and some of the guys r going to go drinking on sunfay

 **Steph** : sunday*

 **Steph** : wanna come?

Wow, an invitation out of pity? He really had fallen low. Steph was a nice enough woman, but she wasn't really what he would call a close friend. Usually it would be Daniel or James texting. He left the texts on read, because he was that kind of bastard. Ugh. Why was he feeling so...on edge? It was tiring.

Lightning lit up the sky briefly, the loud noise of thunder following a while after. The raindrops hammered against the window. Oh, right. _That_ was why.

...He wondered if they were at least dry, wherever they were. Probably not. Hm.

William resigned himself to an evening full of stupid tense thoughts and went to sip his tea again, when a loud bang against his door made him choke on it. He coughed a few times, shocked. _What_ –was that a branch or–but it didn't sound like–

The bang again.

Was–just _who_ was on the other side of that door?! Did they want to tear it down or something?

Wait.

William stood up, staring at the door like an idiot. There could be literally anyone behind it, but...

What if it was _them?_

It was mostly wishful thinking, but...did his wishes of having the kids here reach them somehow? It could be, since William's brain had been very _very_ insistent about it. Well, he couldn't just _not_ do anything, even if it wasn't them, or even if it was a simple tree branch fallen against the entrance. So he ignored the uncharacteristic thumping of his heart against his ribcage and opened the door.

Sure enough, there they were.

Absolutely _dripping_ in water, shaking uncontrollably. Six had her arms wrapped around her in a sad attempt at preserving heat, and he nearly cried at her very familiar, very much missed glare. Mono was the one closest to the door, hand raised in a fist, probably having been prepared to 'knock' again. William swallowed back a laugh. Like this, they looked more like raccoons than ever. Wet, lost little raccoons. His smile slid down his face, the short relief quickly disappearing. _Focus, Allen._

"Um–" Mono started, but William was already ushering them inside.

"Of course" the man answered Mono's unspoken question. "Come in, quick"

The two kids stumbled into the living room, William barely sparing a glance at his now soaked floor. Six sighed, wiping the water out of her bangs. They looked so relived at being in a house. Something inside William twisted. 

"Mono..." he started. Said boy snapped his gaze up at him. "You said you had a place to stay"

"We do" the kid said tremulously, voice shaking from the cold. The man sighed while he turned on the heating in the house.

"Then why are you like–" he motioned to them up and down. "–This?"

"It doesn't have a roof" the boy shrugged, as if it was obvious. William wanted to tear his hair out.

"Where– _where_ exactly were you staying, if I can know?"

"Alleyway"

"...An alleyway"

"Yeah"

"Mono, that's not a place you can stay in"

"It has a trash container"

William made a choked sound, conveying his wordless exasperation. Mono looked sheepish. Six rolled her eyes.

"And lots of boxes" the boy offered, _as if it would make the situation any better._

The cop chose to ignore this particular conversation for the sake of his sanity and instructed the kids to stay put while he got some towels from the bathroom. Halfway through the hall though, he thought it would be probably better if they just took a bath altogether. Full offense, they absolutely _reeked_. The water made it worse. And, they would appreciate being clean for the first time in...what, months? Yeah, being clean and smelling nice influenced one's behavior in a lot of ways, and besides, William welcomed the distraction. Now he could finally do something useful instead of lying on the couch wallowing in self pity for the rest of the night.

"Kids?" he called, walking into the living room. They were exactly were he'd left them. They turned to look.

"What do you say you take a nice bath? It'll make you feel better" he smiled.

The two exchanged perplexed glances. Please don't tell him they didn't know what a bath was.

"Why?" Mono asked, after a moment of silent deliberation between them.

William blinked.

"W-Well, because, because you're dirty of course" he stammered. "And cleaning yourself up can help you be warm and cozy"

Six perked up at the word 'warm'. Mono tilted his head.

"...Okay" he agreed slowly. William released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Alright, then follow me. The bathroom is just upstairs"

The kids exchanged glances again and after some hesitance, they trailed after him at a safe distance. The three of them got as far as the couch before Mono caught sight of something and completely froze up. William stopped walking too, confused. Six followed her friend's line of sight and flinched so violently the man thought she'd hurt herself somehow. They seemed in a trance, looking with horrified eyes at...something, and William desperately searched for the thing that scared them so much. Damn it, damn it, things had been going so well!

"Kids, what's wrong–?"

Six made a strangled sound of panic and tugged Mono behind her with so much force the boy stumbled down to the floor. He was starting to shake. What was wrong?!

A strike of lightning illuminated the room briefly, at the same time William figured out what they were looking at.

The TV.

The man walked over to the box, hearing Six gasp loudly. It only confirmed his suspicions. He stood beside the device and looked back at them. Mono's eyes were pinned on the screen, and Six's lower lip trembled, looking between him and the television like she was expecting something to happen. It looked like she was trying not to cry.

"Six" he addressed the girl, because it looked like Mono was out of it. "What's wrong? Is it this? Is it the TV?"

The girl narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth as William's hand inched closer.

"Why is it bad?" he said, trying to keep his own panic at bay. "Can you tell me why it's bad?"

Six shook her head strongly, spraying water everywhere. Oh, for the love of God.

" _Talk_ to me, Six" he stressed the word. "I'll fix it, but I can't do it if you don't tell me what's wrong!"

The little girl opened and closed her mouth, looking from Mono to William to the TV in such a speed the man worried she'd make herself dizzy. A few tense seconds passed. Mono still hadn't moved. Six noticed it too, because she knelt abruptly before him and slapped a wet hand over his eyes. Mono sucked in a breath. 

"Help me, Six" William insisted. "What do I do?"

She scrunched her face up, looking helplessly at her friend, and her shoulders sagged. William knew he'd got through to her then. Not from his own merit, of course. She caved in because of Mono. To help him. She mumbled something. 

"What?"

"–Out" she rasped. Her voice had the same rough feeling to it as Mono's, but William still couldn't catch the whole thing.

"Out? What, the TV?" He said. Six tightened her grip on the boy.

"Get it _out!_ " she yelled, and William scrambled to do as he was told. He didn't know _why_ the TV was so bad, nor why they were scared of it, or why it had to go, but the useless piece of metal didn't work _anyway_ , so it wasn't as if he was losing much here. The cables were even dislodged from the wall, courtesy of the technician. It was only sitting there until he could throw it out properly, eating up space. William supposed the time to make it disappear was now, rules of disposal be damned. He took the heavy thing into his hands and made his hasty way to the door, trying hard to keep his back to the wall, far from the children so they would see what he was doing and feel safe. Or, well, as safe as they could feel right now.

He opened the door and with all his strength, threw the television into the front lawn, where it crashed loudly. Good. Let it break and rot. It had brought him more problems than solutions by now.

He quickly entered the house again, half heartedly wiping his face of rain. The children were still on the floor, but Mono's eyes were uncovered this time. His brown orbs darted along the living room nervously. Six looked up at him. William sighed, shaken, and knelt slowly in front of them, not as close as he would normally, in light of the circumstances.

"There, see? It's gone" he said reassuringly. "It didn't work anyway, so I just threw it out. It's not here anymore, and it won't be"

Until he got a new one, that is. But with this new discovery, he supposed it would be a long time before that happened.

Mono visibly swallowed, but the man could see the tension draining from his tiny frame. Six, seeing her friend relax, released a puff of air too, standing up again and offering a hand to Mono in the process. The boy took it and pulled himself up. He looked embarrassed. William smiled.

"It's alright. I don't really know what that was about but..." he took a deep breath. "You don't have to tell me. If it makes you uncomfortable, it can't be helped"

Although ' _uncomfortable_ ' might be an understatement. They both looked on the verge of a panic attack right there. 

Oh well. He could tackle that issue out of their mountain of issues later. No biggie. Right now though...

"How about that bath? You could _definitely_ use one right now" he prompted.

They nodded.

This time, they made it to the bathroom without any more trouble. William's bathroom was pretty well off, with a bathtub, sink and a shower of its own.

"Okay, you know how to take a shower, don't you?" he asked. Six looked offended at the question. Well, it wasn't his fault. They didn't know what _knocking_ was.

"Right. So feel free to wash yourselves off there first, to get the dirt off" he knelt next to the bathtub, opening the faucet to the right temperature while he explained.

"You can use my shampoo for now, and there's new soap bars inside the cabinet" he motioned to the things he spoke of one by one.

"What's shampoo?" Mono asked, looking curious. William was glad he wasn't tense anymore. 

"It's like soap, but it's especially for your hair. It leaves it soft and shiny" he smiled, pulling his hand back when the bath water was just right. A bit hot, but that just left time for it to cool off until the kids finished the first part.

"Then, when you're done showering, you can hop in the bathtub and soak in the water. Relax a bit, regain warmth, that sort of stuff" William stood up and placed the towels on top of the toilet.

"You can stay as long as you want, but when you get out, dry yourselves with these and stay put until I call you" He didn't have any clothes that fit children, obviously, but he could still lend them something while he washed their clothes properly. 

...To be honest, he kinda wanted to throw their whole wardrobe away, but that could come later. First thing's first.

"Oh, and be careful. The floor tends to get slippery" he warned, a bit unnecessarily by the look Six shot him, but obliged to do it anyway.

"So, all set?"

They nodded. William finished making sure everything was within reach of the children and left them to their own devices, expecting one of them to come with him, taking turns and all that.

What he did _not_ expect was for the two of them to start undressing together _right there_ , without any concern for privacy. He averted his eyes quickly before they could get to the lower parts and leaned against the wall outside in the hall, massaging his forehead.

...Ah, what the hell. They were _technically_ still children, probably doing it out of practicality and frankly his capacity for dealing with their stuff was burned out after the thing with the TV.

 _Later_ , he told himself, in what was quickly becoming his new mantra. _Later_.

For now, he had dinner to make. For more than one person this time, for the first time in a long while.

...He wasn't sure why that thought made him happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: The kids indulge in a hot bath and are clean for the first time in their lives, exposing some dark secrets to the adult who took them in. William is not okay.  
> \----
> 
> –Mono doesn't understand why being /more/ wet on top of being rained on is supposed to make them feel warm, but he just goes with the flow.
> 
> –William: oh what a shame this tv has been with me for so long–  
> Kids: *panic*  
> William: n e vermind *yeets his tv*


End file.
